Former NU Golfer Matt Fitzpatrick Tees Up Younger Brother Alex for Life On and Off the Course
Last month’s Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase featured 17 college golfers competing for a spot in the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods’ tournament on the PGA Tour. The pro-am-style contest paired each player with a pro, many of whom shared a connection with their young partners.
But no amateur had a bond with their course counterpart like Alex Fitzpatrick, who played with a pro he has spent years getting to know: his older brother, Matt.
Matt, 27, briefly played golf for the Northwestern Wildcats before turning pro in 2014. Over the last eight years, he has traveled internationally from tournament to tournament, ultimately earning the No. 24 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of 2021. Meanwhile, Alex, 23, is a senior at Wake Forest, and has prioritized training in the U.S.
Given the brothers’ busy schedules, the time they recently shared at Southern California’s Riviera Country Club — with mom and dad watching on — made for a special moment.
“You don’t get many chances to do this, so it was nice, even though it was an early start,” Matt said after stepping off the 18th hole. “I’ll complain about that to him later.”
Matt’s mock annoyance with his sunrise tee time was just one of the many jokes he and Alex exchanged in their brotherly banter, revealing a close relationship despite their day-to-day distance.
The Fitzpatricks grew up in Sheffield, England, and began playing golf at a young age. Matt, about four years Alex’s senior, showed an early aptitude for the sport, winning the 2012 Boys Amateur Championship in England when he was just 17.
As Matt rose through golf’s ranks, however, he made sure Alex joined him. When Matt played for the 2013 U.S. Amateur title that he went on to win, Alex was his caddy.
The pair separated in 2014 when Matt went off to play for Northwestern. He logged a win and three top-three finishes for the Wildcats, according to ESPN. And while his time at the university was brief, he still respects his decision to attend.
“It’s a really good school, academic-wise, and I knew the golf coaches — [director of golf and player development] Pat Goss and [head coach] David Inglis — had an ability to coach golf rather than just kind of manage, which I know a lot of coaches tend to do,” he said.
The upstart golfer’s decision to go pro paid off, as he went on to win the 2015 British Masters, as well as the 2017 and 2018 Omega European Masters, among other titles.
By this time, Alex had started school at Wake Forest, for which he has played the last four seasons. He has logged five top-five finishes as a Demon Deacon, and five top-20 finishes in his last six events, making him sixth in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings and fifth in the PGA Tour University rankings.
Things are heating up in the @Velocity_Global Ranking …
— PGA TOUR University (@PGATOURU) March 9, 2022
📈: https://t.co/NK0RKBZt1A pic.twitter.com/7wLRiNSfKC
According to Matt, Alex’s extended collegiate career is just the beginning of the ways in which the brothers differ.
“We’re polar opposites. I’m organized, he’s unorganized. I’m smart, he’s — no, I’m just kidding. He’s the only one in the family that’s going to get a degree,” Matt said with a laugh. “We are very different personalities and go about things very differently, but it’s always good to spend time with him.”
The duo did just that during the Collegiate Showcase, each getting the opportunity to appreciate the other’s style of play; Alex admired his brother’s talent for driving down the fairways, while Matt applauded Alex’s iron game.
Though Alex did not qualify for the Genesis Invitational, placing 7th in the amateur competition, he will make his PGA Tour debut at this week’s Valspar Championship after earning a spot in the field via the Valspar Collegiate Invitational. Both Fitzpatricks are set to take on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida, beginning March 17.
PGA Tour debut on deck at the @ValsparChamp 🏆
— Wake Forest Men's Golf (@WakeMGolf) March 14, 2022
Let's go, @FitzAlex99 🎩 pic.twitter.com/wFWf9IoNqz
The tournament will allow Alex to continue growing his golf game with his brother by his side. And when asked if he looked up to Matt off the course as well, Alex couldn’t have agreed more.
“Absolutely, for both [golf and life], as much as we’re completely different,” the younger brother said. “He’s done amazing things so far, things that I obviously would like to aspire to, so I try and ask for as much advice as I can.”
“He doesn't listen to any of it,” Matt joked.
“I couldn't ask for someone better,” Alex continued, cracking a grin. “I’m very lucky.”
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Alyssa Haduck is a reporter for Wildcats Daily on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. She has also written for the Washington Football Team, the United States Golf Association, and the University of Maryland athletic department. Haduck is currently a graduate student studying sports journalism at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.